A Construction Phase Plan, or CPP, is a legal requirement under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 for any construction project. Its purpose is to plan in terms of health and safety on site, as well as act as a method of passing this information to other contractors involved and to demonstrate to the client that these items have been considered.

It’s important to note that the requirements have changed since the CDM Regulations 2007. A CPP must now be completed regardless of the size, duration or value of the work. Even if the job is only going to last for one day, even if it is a domestic project, a CPP is now compulsory.

For projects where more than one contractor is involved, a Principal Contractor should be appointed – and it is their role to write the CPP. If only one contractor is working on the job, then it is naturally their responsibility. The Plan must be drawn up prior to set-up of the construction site, and should be reviewed as work commences and progresses to ensure it is fully up-to-date at all times.

But don’t worry… for very small projects, it’s also possible to combine the CPP in the Risk Assessment/Method Statement, as long as the information included within is sufficient to cover all three documents.

So what exactly needs to be included in a Construction Phase Plan? Firstly it’s important that all details are specific to the works and are not just generic comments. For example, if there is reference to asbestos then there should also be details of the asbestos survey and the affected location(s). The actual content of the CPP will vary depending on the size and nature of the project.

For small jobs, it should contain:

Brief details of the work, the client, other parties involved, and dates

The project – description (what the project is, what the work may include), site location, CDM appointments (e.g. the Client, the Principal Designer, the health and safety consultants), duration, whether existing information provided is enough to be able to proceed with the work

Management arrangements – structure and responsibilities, details of regular liaison between parties on site/communication and consultation with the workforce/exchange of design information between parties/control of contractors, site security, welfare facilities and first aid, reporting and investigation of accidents/incidents/near misses, risk assessment, written safe systems of work, site rules

Once in place, the CPP must be adhered to so that the site is safe and compliant with the law. It must be treated as a ‘live’ document and updated to reflect any changes as they happen. The document must be passed via the Principal Designer (if there is one) to the Client and must be passed down to all other contractors on the project.

Importantly, don’t be scared of CPPs! They are there to ensure the health and safety of all aspects of the job are considered and communicated to all involved. And please don’t leave them on a shelf!

Wenlock Health & Safety Ltd. can assist with writing Construction Phase Plans and Contract Risk Assessments. We also offer CDM 2015 training if you need to brush up or stay up-to-speed with the requirements and have a course running on 23rd January 2018. Please get in touch with Vicki Brown (vicki.brown@wenlockhs.co.uk 01952 885885) for more information.